Dec. 18, 2010 - PRLog -- The news that the Tea Party Express and CNN have teamed to present the first of the 2012 presidential debates is his “vindication” said former Tea Party Express Chairman Mark Williams.

Williams resigned his chairmanship last April to pursue his opposition of the Ground Zero Mosque and promote his book “Taking Back America One Tea Party at a Time” while retaining the post of national Tea Party spokesman.

Williams left that post in July after penning a scathing criticism of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The NAACP had voted a resolution at the time labeling the Tea Party Racist. Williams’ criticism took the form of what he admits was a “poorly and stupidly written” satirical letter from the NAACP to President Abraham Lincoln demanding a repeal of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Williams maintained at the time that the Tea Party is a “human rights movement” dedicated to “every person’s civil rights” and that the NAACP resolution was in fact a call to “...roll back a century and half of progress.”

Williams has since publicly apologized for the nature of his criticism and in a personal, private conversation with NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous.

Says Williams: “That a respected international, serious news organization like CNN and even the potential presidential candidates recognize that the Tea Party is anything but racist simply thrills me.”

The controversial radio host, TV Commentator and author also said “I feel completely vindicated, this is an absolute vindication of both the Tea Party and Mark Williams." He added "I have paid an enormous professional and emotional price for the foolish manner in which I responded to an irrelevant resolution from an organization [the NAACP] that itself implies by its own name is racist by its very nature.”

While expressing appreciation for Jealous and unspecified "common ground" shared by the two the Tea Party leader called on the NAACP to "man up and join the Tea Party, it's all about Liberty. It is 2010 not 1860."

"What this CNN/TPX agreement proves is that what I said was right but reinforces in my own mind that it was said stupidly. Because I said it stupidly I left myself wide-open to demagogues and race baiters-exploiters who were only just too happy to do their best to destroy the Tea Party with my words as their weapon." added Williams

Williams currently remains in search of full time employment. Of that he says "It's part of the price I have had to pay and I hope that this wonderful news changes that."